


A storm strong enough to shake the rose.

by AlvaWrites



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Whiterose, but i might catch them up, death mention, diverges before the team leaves for atlas, this fic is for my own emotional support
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlvaWrites/pseuds/AlvaWrites
Summary: Ruby has been struggling with PTSD since the fall of beacon academy. she's hidden it well from her team and her other friends but shes starting to unravel. It all catches up to her when Weiss finds her in the middle of a panic attack. She knew she couldn't hide it forever but what happens now?
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. A Too Familiar Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic when i needed some emotional support, so have some shamelessly self-indulgent comfort fic.

Ruby was laying in bed staring at the unevenly hewn beams holding up the ceiling. Visions of the friends they left behind appeared before her eyes. Sun, Neptune, Coco, Velvet… Pyrrha and Penny. She shook her head but the images of their deaths firmly seared themselves to the forefront of her mind. Her breathing quickened. Her heartbeat filled her ears. She pulled at the fabric around her collar as the images became clearer, she faintly heard herself screaming “Penny! Pyrrha!” then she remembered how time seemed to stop as Cinders spear pierced weiss’ side, the pain she felt watching the woman she loved collapse. The splitting headache of her silver eyes. Her breathing was too shallow, but she couldn’t slow it down to get deep breaths. She was fighting for air, drowning under the sheets of the inn’s bed. She threw the blanket off and unbuttoned her cape from her shoulders. She leaned herself forward and tried to stop what was coming next. This had happened to her before. She was worried she was too far into this one to stop it. Every happy image she conjured was crushed by a bad one, no matter how much she internally recited the mantra “I’m safe, my team is safe” the words felt hollow. Then came the tipping image. Cinder standing over the bodies of her teammates, laughing as she reached forward with her grimm arm to choke the life out of her.  
The clattering noise was enough to push the image out of her head, but she didn’t feel any more calm. She saw weiss standing in the door over a metal platter she had apparently dropped at the sight of the state ruby was in. Two apples, a tea kettle and two small tea cups were spilled around the tray. Weiss rushed to her, kneeling at the bedside, wiping ruby’s hair out of her face. The first few words she said, Ruby didn’t catch from the pounding in her ears, but as ruby became more aware of the tears streaming down her face, and honed in on trying to understand what weiss was saying she felt her heartbeat steadily begin to slow. The roaring in her ears became a dull whir.  
“Ruby, whats wrong? Can you hear me? Are you listening? Do I need to get help?” Weiss was frantic, clearly choking back tears of her own.  
“No.” Ruby managed, her voice hoarse. Her throat was incredibly dry. She shook her head firmly “Don’t get anyone else.” She stood up quickly and moved to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet a few times.  
“Are you sick?” Weiss asked from the doorway.  
Ruby Shook her head.  
“Then whats going on.”  
“I… I don’t want you to have to worry about me. I’ll Be Okay.” Ruby managed to huff before vomiting once more, nothing but stomach acid coming up.  
“We are way beyond me being able to not worry about this ruby.” Ruby felt a gentle touch on her back. Weiss began rubbing small circles between ruby’s shoulder blades. “Now please Ruby. Let me in?”  
“Sometimes, when im alone especially. I see things.” She started. “I see Penny as she falls apart, or I see pyrrha right before her body turns to ash, or I see you get impaled and fall to the ground. And the world just gets spinny, and it gets hard to breathe and after a lot of intense crying and some vomit, I feel lethargic and numb.”  
“You’ve been having panic attacks? For how long?” Weiss tried to hide the feeling of betrayal, but ruby could hear the disappointment in her voice- the thought that she wished ruby had come to her before then.  
“Since the fall”  
“That long?” Weiss pulled ruby into a hug. “And you’ve been going through it by yourself?”  
“Well I couldn’t exactly lean on yang before I left, and I managed to hide it from ren, nora, and jaune because I didn’t want them to make me turn back. And you…” Ruby sighed against her girlfriends chest. “You were in atlas. And since you’ve been back I haven’t really had them as often. This is just the second time since you got hurt. I think I’m getting better.”  
Ruby knew as she spoke that her tone was far from convincing.  
“Ruby. Did you just lie to me?”  
“Okay this is the second bad one thats happened since you got hurt. The others I mostly fought off on my own.”  
“Go sit on the bed. I have to clean up. I’ll be back in five minutes tops. You sit tight and think about something soothing, like our first date, to keep you calm alright?”  
Ruby nodded her head. Weiss helped her to her feet and brushed around ruby’s mouth with a wet cloth. She walked ruby to the bed and sat her down. She pulled rubys chin up to force her to lock eyes.  
“Five minutes.”  
Ruby nodded again, laying back on the pillows that now felt abrasive to her face. Her clothes felt itchy. The hypersensitivity of her skin after a panic attack only served to irritate her more. First date, she thought to herself, That was a nice day. 

It was one week after the dance. She was angry at herself for not having the courage to ask weiss to dance. She sat alone near the cliff that Oz had thrown them off of the day they were partnered up.  
“Hey Ruby.” It was Yang, she was holding a picnic basket with a blanket folded over it. “I know this is gonna sound like I totally stepped out of line but just hear me out before you get mad.”  
“I make no promises.” Ruby retaliated, already standing.  
“So Ice-queen is on her way here, and she kinda thinks that you asked her out on a date.”  
“And why would she think that?”  
“Because I told her that you had a romantic surprise waiting up here for her.”  
“WHY WOULD YOU.. AH SHBA UGH I have NO words Yang.” Ruby was ready to explode.  
“Relax, weiss is excited. She’s probably wandering her way this way. She’s just waiting on you to call her on her scroll and ask her to come up to the cliff.”  
“AND YOU…” Ruby stopped, took a step back and absorbed what Yang was saying. “Shes excited? Like she likes me excited or like she cant wait to crush my heart into the dirt excited because sometimes you can never really know.”  
“Stop.” Yang held her hand over Rubys mouth and sat down the basket. “She likes you Ruby. You two have been so oblivious to each others feelings that she was going to ask neptune to the dance to see if you got jealous. Like seriously that was her plan. Now unfold this blanket, call Weiss and when she gets here, talk to her, enjoy the food blake and I made for you and remember that she likes you too. So at the end of the date when the sun is setting. Tell her how you feel and kiss her.”  
“Yang.If this works I owe you big, and if it doesn’t I am going to show no mercy in my retaliation.” Ruby warned. Yang chuckled.  
“I wouldn’t have it any other way sis.”  
So Ruby unfolded the blanket as Yang walked away, and she called Weiss on her scroll.  
“Hey weiss, I just thought I’d see if you wanted to join me for a picnic. I packed too much food for just me and I thought maybe you’d like come hang out. Feels like its been all torchwick and class and then dance but no quality friendship building times. Even the dance prep was more like a job. Am I rambling?”  
“You are a little, Dolt.” Weiss’ voice was a little broken as it came through the scroll. “But I happen to be nearby and hungry so ill at least come join you for the meal.”  
The call ended abruptly. Ruby sat on the blanket, furiously straightening the corners of the blanket and the seems of her skirt. Deciding to look more casual she laid crescent rose on the grass next to her and bundled her cloak around it. It took weiss no more than two minutes to get to her.  
“Hey Weiss, I saved you a seat.” She said, internally wincing for the dumb joke. Ruby thought she saw the corner of weiss’ mouth lift a little as she rolled her eyes.  
They talked and joked and ate the small sandwiches that blake and Yang had prepped for them, and after about two hours of laughing together the sky began to turn orange and Ruby remembered Yangs advice. Or command, Ruby mused to herself.  
“Weiss.” Ruby touched weiss’ hand a little with her own,lightly, making sure that it didn’t force weiss to commit to the contact. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now. She looked to the sunset and the to her lap before locking eyes with weiss. “We are great friends and I really really don’t want to mess that up but if I don’t say something about this im gonna explode so just listen. I think you are the most intelligent, most beautiful, most interesting person I know and I know Pyrrha Nikos too so you should know how special that is.” She visibly winced at how stupid what she just said was. “Basically what im saying is I like you weiss. Romantically, and sitting in this sunset I really want to kiss you.” She paused “Is that okay?”  
“I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Weiss leaned forward and met her lips to Ruby’s, sealing their first kiss.

“See, That was only three minutes and im back already.” Weiss’ voice brought ruby back to reality. “You seem better” Weiss noted before wiping off ruby’s face with a cool damp cloth.  
“I feel a little better, especially with you here.”  
“I brought you a glass of water, an apple and bought us about an hour of undisturbed private time.”  
“You did that and cleaned the teas off the floor in three minutes?”  
“Yep.” Weiss picked up the glass from the bedside table. “You should drink some of this. You’re probably dehydrated.” Ruby took the cup with her shaking hands and pressed it to her mouth “Slow sips.” Weiss told her gently. Ruby complied taking one small drink and lowering the glass again.  
“I don’t want the apple just yet, my stomach still feels… puke-y.”  
“Okay. Just water for now then.” Weiss sat on the bed next to ruby and kicked off her shoes. Ruby took a few small sips from the glass.  
“Will you just hold me for a while?” Ruby asked sheepishly. “And maybe pet my hair that way I like?”  
“Of course.” Weiss sat Rubys drink on the bedside table and planted a quick kiss on Rubys cheek before crawling under the covers of the bed and raising her arm in invitation for ruby to use her as a pillow.  
“You really are the best girlfriend ever weiss.” Ruby commented as she snuggled up to her surprisingly warm girlfriend.  
“Well. I just want to take care of you. Make sure you’re okay. I mean I love you ruby.”  
Ruby raised her head up and locked eyes with weiss, whos face was beet red.  
“Did you just use the L word?” Ruby asked  
“I don’t know what you mean.” She replied readily.  
“ITs okay.” Ruby giggled, settling her head back down. “I love you too snowflake.” Weiss began running her fingers through Rubys hair.  
“So why didn’t you come to me about this?” Weiss’ tone was stern but not harsh.  
“Because im the leader.” Ruby replied, feeling the threat of tears again. “And I cant afford to be breaking down on my team. Its my job to keep you all safe and part of that means caring from your mental health, which means I cant make you worry more than necessary.”  
“Just because you lead the team doesn’t mean you cant be vulnerable Ruby. We love you, I differently than blake and Yang of course, but we want to support you, become part of your strength. We cant do that if you hide these things from us. What happens if next time you have a panic attack we’re in the middle of combat?” Ruby winced against Weiss’ chest. “Did you think about that possibility?”  
“Honestly… No. I didn’t think about that” Ruby admitted. “I can’t afford to think that way weiss.”  
“Ruby. Sweetie. You can’t shoulder everything yourself. It’s going to kill you, and I can’t watch that happen. If we lose you…” Weiss inhaled sharply and let out a deep sigh “You can’t do everything by yourself. Let us help you. Please, let me help you sweetie.”  
“Okay.”  
“So you’ll come to me if you’re feeling stressed or depressed or if you’re gonna have another panic attack?” Weiss’ tone did not convey her words as a question.  
“Yeah snowflake. I’ll pester you with my problems or whatever.”  
“I take it you’re feeling better now?”  
“Much much better now.” Ruby snuggled a little closer. “Mind if I snooze for a minute?” she inquired before yawning.  
“Not at all.” 

Ruby let herself drift off to sleep. She didnt dream. As she started to wake up she heard weiss humming faintly. Ruby adjusted how she was laying slightly and took in sound as weiss began to sing. Weiss sang in a whisper to ruby, continuing to pet her hair. Ruby didn’t know how long she had been asleep or how long weiss had been singing to her, but she was glad she woke up to hear it.

“Have I ever told you how much I love listening to you sing?” Ruby mumbled, stifling another yawn.  
“You only ask me to sing to you every other day.” Weiss replied.  
“But you don’t sing to me every time I ask, so I have to ask more often to get you too.”  
“You are insufferable.”  
“Yeah but you love me.” Ruby giggled. “How long was I out?”  
“About an hour. Everyone will be expecting us to meet them for food soon.”  
“What made you start singing to me?” Ruby asked as she sat up and stretched her arms.  
“You started twitching in your sleep. I thought it would calm you down.”  
Ruby turned to her girlfriend and gave her a soft kiss.  
“Thank you weiss. For everything today.” She stood and pulled her cape over her shoulders buckling it.  
“I’m just glad that I could help you.” She coughed as she stood up. “So lets go meet everyone.”  
Grabbing Ruby’s hand weiss walked to the door and pulled it open, leading ruby through the halls to the tavern attached to the inn. Qrow was at the bar, holding a glass of what had to be bottom shelf whiskey, while blake, yang, nora, ren, jaune, and oscar sat at a table not far away.  
“Hey Rubes, are you feeling better?” yang’s voice was filled with concern. “Weiss told us you felt under the weather and insisted that we leave you alone. I was about to come check up on you now actually.”  
“Heh. I’m feeling a lot better. I took a nap and weiss sang to me.” Ruby looked at weiss with a soft smile. “OH” She jumped a little and leaned closer to the table “And and and, weiss used the L word.”  
“Well thats ten lien we all owe jaune.” Yang sighed.  
“For the record” Blake interjected “I had that you would say it at the same time in a sort of awkward but romantic manner.”  
“Well its nice that our relationship is such a source of amusement for you all.” Weiss huffed, taking a seat next to blake. Ruby sat across from weiss.  
“I had down that ruby would say it to weiss casually around all of us before freaking out after realizing what she said and wondering if it was too soon to say it yet.” Nora said, sliding jaune ten lien.  
“So no one except jaune thought I would say it first?” Weiss asked.  
“No I did” Ren commented. “But more in a manner of what nora described.”  
“Well thats actually closer to what happened.” Ruby offered.  
“Wait really?” Jaunes face sank a little “I lost the bet?”  
“Weiss was all ‘because I love you’ and I was like ‘did you just use the l word’ and weiss was like um ugh uhhh’ and then I said it back” Ruby filled them in on the gist.  
“You make it sound so embarrassing.” Weiss put her face into her hands.  
“Well that does mean that I did in fact lose the bet.” Jaune admitted defeat sliding the winnings to ren, as blake and yang pushed theirs forward too.  
“Why didn’t we bet on this for blake and yang?” Ruby asked. “Gah I feel so cheated.”  
“I mean it was pretty obvious that Yang was going to say it first.” Jaune interjected.  
“But I didn’t” Yang corrected him. “Blake said it first.”  
“What?” Jaune and nora asked at the same time.  
“Seriously do you think yang is gonna push the L word on blake who was already pretty skittish about connecting to everyone because at that weiss and I didn’t even know she was a faunus.” Ruby offered.  
“Oh you know. Thats actually a really good point.” Weiss yawned, interrupting herself “I figured it would be Blake anyway. Not for any particular reason though.”  
“Are we betting on Ren and Nora? Wait no. Thats dumb. Theyve already said it im sure.”  
Nora and Ren looked at each other and then to Ruby.  
“Actually. We haven’t.” Ren corrected.  
“Oh I mean. Ya know. Its just our relationship is the most recent to actually form and ya know. Itll happen when it happens.” Noras delivery was convincing enough, but after she finished talking she shifted her weight and fidgeted with her skirt.  
“Oh well then all bets are on, but Ren and Nora obviously can’t know which one which of us is betting on” Yang punched one fist into the air “Oscar you in on this too?”  
“Hmm? Me? Uhh sure. I mean normally I think it would be strange betting on the behaviors of your friends but I mean. You all seem comfortable with it so why not?”  
There was a thud at the end of the table.  
“If you kids are finished, then I’ve got some news.” Qrow interupted them before taking a swig from his drink while they calmed down. “I’ve finally procured a ride to atlas. We leave tomorrow, so pack your bags tonight, we cannot be late. The next opportunity like this wont happen for another two months or so.”  
“How are we traveling?” Blake asked.  
“Boat. We’re protection for a ship taking some imports deemed necessary by the counsel. We won’t be getting paid except in transport and food but hey it’ll get us there.” Qrow looked at the group before him, releasing a sigh after taking in their weary gazes. “Look. I know how tiring this all is. With any luck James will have a place for us. I doubt he’d tell anyone except maybe ice queen number 1, about us being in town that is. So that way we can fly under even jaques schnees radar. Which im sure is a comfort to all of you- especially weiss.”  
There was a noticeable decline in tension in Weiss’ shoulders.  
“You never graduated, but the things you kids have done are as impressive as the accomplishments of any hunter or huntress ive ever met. So from now on when we are on a job you act as professionals. We can sort out any issue with credentials later. Now please remember to get some sleep tonight.” Qrow turned, stumbling slightly before returning to the bar to take his seat. As he approached the counter the bartender dropped and shattered a glass. Ruby winced at the noise, and she thought she saw Yangs hand tremble a little. Weiss stood from the table.  
“I think im going to take a walk, I’ll be back soon. Would you care to join me Ruby?”  
“Course.” Ruby stood too, stretching a little. She waved to the group before following Weiss. After they exited the inn Ruby turned to weiss. “There something you wanna talk about?”  
“I was just thinking about our First date actually.”  
“Oh I actually wanted to tell you something about that too.” Ruby interupted. “It was all Yang’s idea. She kinda sprung it on me because I was too nervous to ask you out on a date myself.”  
“Well actually.” Weiss blushed a little. “It wasn’t her idea either.”  
“What?”  
“I went to talk to her- because at this point i knew you liked me- and described what I thought would be the perfect first date and her response was, and I quote ‘give me and blake like twenty minutes to whip up some food, I’ll take it to Ruby and tell her that I set you two up, I’ll even make her think I told you it was her idea to build up her confidence’ and then she went about making food without even waiting for my approval.”  
“Are you serious?” Ruby laughed “you were nervous to ask me out too? But you knew I liked you?”  
“Ruby don’t tease me like that. I was just. I had over heard a conversation the night before and didn’t want to freak you out, or make you uncomfortable in any way so I went to yang for advice on what you would want to do on a first date.”  
“Youre so sweet.” Ruby gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. “Just. The. Best.” Punctuating each word with a kiss.  
“Stop” Weiss chuckled, half-hearted pushing Ruby off her.  
“Thank you for telling me.” Ruby pulled away and laced her fingers through Weiss’ “That day seems even more special to me now.”  
they walked through the calm city, the cold wind blowing from the water reminding Weiss of 'home'. the streetlights illuminated their way to the docks and the two of them stared out over the water content with the silence.


	2. The conversation weiss wasn't supposed to hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just some context for the conversation mentioned in chapter one. this is that.

Weiss usually thought of herself as difficult to disturb, her focus when studying had gotten iron clad- at least to the usual RWBY antics. This day was different. Ruby had been keeping her pestering to a minimum, usually just ensuring that Weiss was eating or that she was taking breaks when she needed to. This day weiss had already been disturbed twice by the crashing sounds coming from team JNPRs room, the third disturbance made her snap. After the crash came a third time she stood and turned in place, finding that the members of her team were absent from the room.   
/those dunces are probably to source of this ruckus/ she strode out of the room and to team JNPRs door.  
“You don’t practice hand to hand at all do you rubes?” Yangs voice came through the door.   
“Ugh.” Ruby Let out a groan.  
“I think Ruby is just distracted.” pyrrha teased. “Not that she could best you Yang, just to explain her declining performance”  
“Thinking about Weiss again?”  
“Shush, Yang. Weiss has ears like a hawk”  
“Come on she’s studying. The destruction of remnant couldn’t distract her now.”  
Weiss felt flustered- what was yang talking about? She asked herself. And she promptly received her answer.   
“You can’t hide from her forever Ruby” Nora scolded her.  
“I’m not hiding from her. I see her every day!”  
“If I may,” Ren interjected calmly “much like my semblance hides emotions from Grimm. You’ve hidden your emotions from Weiss. All your interactions with her are muted now. It might not be yet but it’ll begin to affect your friendship”  
“Ahhhh even Ren is on your side!!!” She heard a gentle thud and ruby mutter a small ouch “I’m just... what happens when she tells me she doesn’t feel the same way?”   
“Don’t you mean if?” Yang corrected.   
“I understand Ruby’s fear. It’s like when I didn’t want to tell everyone I was a Faunus or, even more closely related would be me hiding my feelings from Yang.”   
“Aw Blake, you thought you were hiding your crush on me? I thought you just wanted to take things slow.” Yang teased.   
/oh/ weiss though to herself. She felt her heart flutter. As she looked back on moments she cherished with Ruby- how ruby would sometimes bring her face too close to hers whenever ruby would look over her shoulder. Or how she felt whenever ruby would touch her arm to get her attention.   
“I don’t know what I’ll do if she tells me that she doesn’t or can’t feel the same way about me” Ruby’s voice was cracking, obviously choking back tears. “She’s my best friend, no offense to any of you. And just. I mean she’s my partner and we share a room and like. If I tell her and she doesn’t accept my feelings for her then it’s gonna be so awkward and I don’t want to lose her as a friend or teammate or partner. I don’t know if it’s worth the risk.”   
“Ruby look at you.” Yangs tone was soft. That gentle timbre of her voice was soothing, and almost motherly. “Not telling her isn’t an option. Even in the chance she turns you down you know how she is. She’ll be a little awkward but she isn’t going to abandon you as a teammate or a friend”  
“Yeah you’ve really turned the ice queen into the Nice-Queen” Nora’s interjection elicited a groan from even Yang.   
“All joking aside. I think you’re underselling the strength of your relationship with Weiss” Blake offered.   
“You’re right. I’m still mad I was too nervous to ask her to dance.”   
Weiss recalled a moment at the dance when ruby approached her. 

“Heh hey Weiss” she approached with a slight wave. “Here alone?”   
“Yes, I couldn’t find a suitor worth my time at this event.”  
“Heh I’m here alone too. No ones even asked me to...”  
“I’m gonna find a seat ruby. I’ll talk to you later. You should try to find someone to dance with. You shouldn’t let the fact that no one asked you stop you from having fun.”

Weiss hasn’t even thought about how ruby felt in that moment. She never thought ruby might want to dance with her. She scolded herself. She wanted Neptune to go to the dance with her to make ruby jealous, she never even considered just asking her to the dance, or at the very least she never would’ve had the nerve for it. Weiss knocked on the door, taking a deep breath to prepare herself.   
“Just a second” came Pyrrhas voice. A few moments later the door opened. Weiss saw her friends gathered sitting in a sort of circle. Ruby was on the far right wiping moisture from her eyes. Weiss panicked in that moment not knowing if she could tell ruby how she felt in that moment.   
“What’s with all the guffaw?” Weiss asked. /nice/ she thought to herself /cut right into ‘ice queen’ mode/   
“Sorry. Me and ruby were just rough housing a little. Ya know how it goes” Yang have weiss an award winning smile.   
“Well please keep it to a minimum. Some of us are trying to study for the history exam tomorrow.”  
“Why don’t you join us?” Ruby asked before weiss could turn. “You should probably take a break. Are you hungry? You’ve been at the books for a few hours now.”   
“Well.” Weiss’ stomach betrayed her, releasing a very audible plea for food. Weiss took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “Okay.”  
“Who alls coming?” Ruby stood up and looked around as everyone made a generic excuse as to why the couldn’t go. “Looks like it’s just us weiss”


	3. Trivia Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> weiss and ruby have more deep conversation, and the gang plays some trivia games.

“Ruby, do you think we can defeat salem? I mean. You heard djin.” Weiss broke the silence.  
Ruby pursed her lips, this wasn’t the first time that she had thought about it but forming her thoughts into words was proving to be a lot harder than expected.  
“All djin said was that Ozpin couldn’t stop salem, right?” rubys question fanned a spark in weiss’ eye. “With everything that I’ve been taught by the grim reaper, I don’t know I think my eyes can do something. We know that my power can hurt maidens, we saw that with cinder. And salem is like a maiden mashed together with a grim so, I mean I should be able to hurt her, right?”  
“That does kind of make sense.”  
“And if that fails all we have to do is find a way to calm the tensions between nations and gather the relics together so that the gods can take away salems immortality.”  
“Thats definitely easier said than done, especially with the fall maiden being on her side.” Weiss motioned for Ruby to start walking. They had been out for a while, it was probably time to return to the inn.  
“Yeah. Or maybe we can just chop her up and bury all her pieces in different places?”  
“That’s… macabre.”  
“Isnt that a cookie?”  
“Thats macarons.”  
“Like the pasta?”  
“Thats…” weiss stopped, Ruby’s facade finally broke as she began to laugh. “You are so insufferable sometimes!” weiss tapped rubys arm as she joined in the laughter.  
“Sorry I couldn’t help it.” Ruby scratched the back of her with her left hand before offering weiss her arm to take. “It was just so serious suddenly. I can’t take too much more serious today.”  
“Well then lets put off the serious and just focus on the fun for now.”  
“The fun?” ruby glanced over at weiss “you have something…particular in mind?”  
Weiss’ face instantly turned red. She pushed away from Ruby.  
“Absolutely insufferable!”  
“Ah weiss-y!” ruby whined grabbing weiss’ arm “it was a joke” ruby bowed her head “im sorry weiss”  
“Seriously ruby.” Weiss was still blushing, and avoiding eye contact. “Its okay.” Ruby immediately perked up “But!” weiss interjected before ruby could speak. “I did have something in mind, just nothing quite as… intimate as your /Humorous/ suggestion.”  
“So what is it?” Ruby’s curiosity showed itself plainly to weiss. She knew the head tilt, how ruby leaned a little closer to her, how she clapped her hand behind her back. Weiss sighed and ruffled rubys hair, cupping her cheek as she pulled her hand down. Suspended in that moment weiss felt her heart beat in her chest the way it had on their first date. She felt a warmth through herself.  
“Its like every time I look at you im falling all over again.” Weiss’ voice was barely more than a whisper. The two of them smiled softly in the light of the dim street lamp before they leaned in and shared a kiss.  
As they continued back to the inn they stopped by the park to pay respects to the statue of Pyrrha there. Talking out loud about things that they wished they had been able to do, about how they missed her and about how they were going to move forward. The two of them were nearly in tears before they finally walked away from the statue.  
The others were waiting for them at the inn.  
“You two have been gone for a while.” Yang nudged ruby with her elbow “sneak off to make out in the park like some kind of delinquent?”  
“We walked to the pier actually.” Ruby stated, in a strict matter-of-fact tone.  
“Ah love-dovey by the water.” Nora teased. “How sweet.”  
“Anywho.” Ruby cut off any more chance at teasing them, turning to weiss. “You had something planned?”  
“Yes.” Weiss pulled out her scroll “a game, that all of us can play. Ill share the link with all of you so you can download it real quick if you wanna play.”  
“Im beat from training so im probably gonna crash” oscar told them. “Maybe next time though?”  
“Of course oscar you’re more than welcome to group activities.” Weiss smiled. Ruby had expressed concern that maybe oscar felt like he wasn’t part of the group, making him feel included was part of planning a group game.  
“Just one game Oscar” ruby asked “I know its late but think of it as team building experience, or just spending time with your friends.”  
Oscar sighed, clearly relenting.  
“Alright Ruby. One game.”

As the group downloaded the game weiss explained the rules of the game. Basically it kept points by who could get the correct answer in time. There were different types of questions worth different amounts of points. Some questions split the group into teams, some questions had the person whos turn it was guess things based of clues provided by the other players, and some questions were asked to everyone with everyone typing the answers into their scroll instead of saying them out loud. The combination of question types and the keeping of points would’ve been confusing but the app did it automatically once their scrolls were linked together for the game.  
“Okay since its late, we will play the shortest number of points and anyone who wants to duck out after can do that okay?” Weiss finished setting everything up. “Alright lets start” pressing the “begin” button caused each of their scroll screens to flash three times before Rubys screen began to glow green.  
“Looks like I start then.” Ruby lifted her scroll. “To the player on your left, so Yang.” Ruby cleared her throat. “Yang, what is the name of the the four time champion of the Vacuo Galditoria event- reigning from 1999 to 2002?”  
“Oh gosh,” yang threw her head back. “Coming out swinging huh? I think their name was Skylar… Skylar Dunham.” Yang said with finality.  
“Thats correct.” Ruby announced.  
“Nice! Alrighty.” Yang read the message appearing on her scroll. “Everyone, if you know the answer write it on your scroll.” Yang cleared her throat “what type of dust is the most used by large cities? You have thirty seconds.”  
Yang hummed to herself as the others thought and typed out their answers.  
“Alright times up lets see who got the points and who got nothing. The answer is gravity dust.- though atlas skews this number a lot gravity dust is used in transport for both people and goods making it one of the fastest consumed forms of dust- barely beating out lightning dust as the second.”  
“Ah I thought for sure lighting dust would be the answer.” Ruby threw her head back. “Whatever.”  
The group continued the game, laughing at their own mistakes and having fun competing against each other, until the winner was declared.  
“Looks like the winner of this game is Blake.” Nora said, as the points tallied. “I dont know why it gave you such an easy question at the end. Everyone knows how much you love the Ninjas of Love series. That question asked to anyone else might have actually been a challenge.”  
“Yes but isnt the point of trivia not just wide knowledge but also specific knowledge?” blake countered.  
“Fairs fair. Its not like we couldve chosen the question.”  
“Alright eveyone I’ve had fun but its time to sleep for the night. Qrow said we had an early morning right?” Oscar stretched as he stood, then finished his thought “you all should probably think about sleep too, its already ten-fifteen.”  
“I have to agree that we should rest.” Ren stood and offered nora a hand.  
“Yeah, this was fun though!” Nora bounced to her feet without the help of rens hand.  
“Come on yang.” Blake scratched yangs head as yang yawned loudly.  
“Coming B” yang stifled another yawn as she stretched. “Goodnight everyone.”  
“Goodnight” Jaune answered as he walked out of the room.  
Just like that it was Weiss and Ruby alone in the silent night.  
“Come on sleepy head, lets lay down.” Weiss was practically dragging ruby towards the bed.  
“It’d be easier to stand if you’d stop walking for a second.” Ruby giggled.  
Weiss stopped and helped ruby to her feet. Ruby wrapped her arms around weiss from behind as she tried to step away.  
“Thank you weiss.” Ruby kissed her cheek. “You really are too good to me.”  
“What to do you mean?” weiss asked snuggling into her girlfriends arms.  
“You put this together to cheer me up right? To help me out?” ruby laid a few gentle kisses on her lovers shoulder and neck. “I love you.”  
“I love you too, now lets get ready for bed darling.”  
“Okay.” Ruby grumbled as she let weiss go, letting their hands meet before she pulled away fully.  
As they laid in the dark rubys hand drifted to weiss.  
“That tickles ruby.” Weiss warned  
“Sorry I just,” ruby took a deep breath and moved closer to weiss wrapping her arm over her. “Is this okay?”  
“Of course” weiss purred pushing in closer to ruby. “Its a little chilly in here anyway so the warmth is very nice.”  
“With you close by, im hoping I wont have any nightmares” ruby admitted.  
“If you do ill be happy to wake up with you and help you get back to sleep.” Weiss’ voice was fading with her consciousness. A few moments later and ruby could tell from the change in weiss’ breathing that she was asleep.  
“You really are too good to me.” Ruby kissed the back of weiss’ head, and drifted off into a calm, dreamless sleep.


	4. On the way to atlas pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter and the next will be less fluff and more plot if you're in this for the fluff just know it WILL get back to that and soon but i also plan on having a few chapters of action or plot interwoven from here on. that being said this chapter and the next are also not going to be very long.

Two days later  
Early days were nothing new for them at this point. The number of all nighters they had pulled when dealing with torchwick, the sleepless nights wandering between the major holds- but as common as they were they never really got easier for Ruby. The rest of the team seemed rested and ready to go but ruby had downed two cups of sugary coffee and could barely keep her eyes open.   
“You really aren’t handling the boat well are you?” Blake asked as the two of them patrolled the top deck.   
“Well. I just didn’t sleep well.” Ruby sighed “maybe it was the rocking from the waves, maybe it was the nightmares.”  
“Nightmares?” Blake inquired.   
Ruby knew Blake wouldn’t push the issue. She only had to say what she was comfortable with. However, Weiss was right. She couldn’t keep going alone, it was time to let others in.   
“Yeah. I’ve been having them pretty often since Beacon... and any sign they were getting better completely went away when Weiss almost got killed in minstrel.” Ruby didnt want to go into detail but providing context around the cause would be enough for Blake.   
“I’ve had them too.” Blake admitted. “They followed me everywhere after beacon. They’re a lot better now. I’ve talked to yang about them and about the fears underlying them. But I’ll still have them from time to time. I don’t think they’ll ever go away completely”  
“I know Yang has them too.” ruby started “I mean I don’t know if she still does but she would wake up suddenly, screaming in fear or calling out for you in the first weeks after losing her arm.”  
“She’s told me about that, I imagine your dreams are more similar to mine than hers.” Blake took in a deep breath of the fresh sea air “neither of us really know what it’s like to go through what she went through but you saw what happened to Penny, and to Pyyrha. That feeling of being useless, unable to help the people you care about as they’re hurt or killed in front of you- that’s the pain we took from beacon. And it isn’t likely to leave us alone”  
“Yeah. I’m glad to know yours are getting better” ruby smiled at Blake and took the moment to gaze over the sea- they could finally see the distant shore of atlas. “Finally almost there huh?”  
“We should dock tomorrow morning I think. Meaning this is our last day watch” Blake pulled out her scroll. “Time to switch out”  
“Four hours already?” Ruby asked stretching her arms over her head “nice!”   
They met the other guards and made their report- no signs of other ships, minimal signs of grim, and went inside to meet up with the rest of their friends for lunch. They gathered in a room large enough for all of them though it was tight and talked about random things. Qrow didn’t say anything about their impending arrival to atlas, and none of them asked. Yang and Blake cut out of the room early, presumably to have some quiet alone time before their break was over. While the rest of the gang was distracted by Nora’s sudden story telling Ruby decided to take the chance to talk to wiess alone. Weiss had been unusual quiet, her expression tight, as if she was forcing herself to hold her slight smile. Ruby finally got weiss away from the rest of the group and into one of the store rooms.  
“What are we doing here Ruby?” weiss’s voice was unreadable, but that emotionless quality confirmed Ruby’s suspicions.  
“I know you’re worried about getting into atlas tomorrow.” Ruby said flatly. “Its okay, I mean I would be too…”  
“What do you know about how I feel?” weiss interjected, wincing after processing what she had just said. “I didn’t mean to snap like that.”  
“Its okay.” Ruby shook her head and gently grabbed weiss’ arms, unfolding them and taking weiss’ hands into her own. “You know the plan, with any luck we will meet with Ironwood, and even your sister, without having to see your father at all.”  
“With any luck.” Weiss chewed on her lip for a second “But I’m not feeling all that lucky.”  
“It’s not like he can do anything if he finds out you’re in atlas anyway. And hey we’ve got at least a few people on our team who are ready to beat him up for you at a moments notice.”  
“Thats sweet but you would definitely end up in jail. I…” the boat rocked heavily, interrupting weiss. “Lets go deal with that first.”


End file.
